Be Still
by fulltimereviewer
Summary: You always have a plan for the unexpected. What you would do. But, what do you do when it happens? All Duncan could do was attempt to put the piece of his family back together as they fell apart. Please read. Review too. C:
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note (Please Read):** Here's another one of my stories. I haven't worked with Duncan as a main character in AGES. This will be VERY realistic. I hope everyone reading will see a bit of their family, and maybe even themselves in these characters and in this story. This story is also a huge outlet to help me with some of the grief I have been holding in since my grandfather died late last November. But, all sadness aside this story will be realistic so not everything will be sad all families have their own way of shining light in dark situations. My family happens to do it with humor, and I think the DeLuca family and many of your families do the same. This story will also be written with some assistance of the author of _Prinzessin,_ edwardandbella4evah. Without further ado, _Be Still_.

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><p>"<em>Be still, and know that I am God."<br>Psalm 46:10_

_ "Dad. Dad was always there. He always knew what to say, what to do. He always was there to be strong for you. He would always let you fall and then let you pick yourself back up; and then he'd tell you how much of a dumbass you were for falling in the first place. But, he'd always let you know how proud he was of you for getting up on your own and not relying on him or anyone else. I'm gonna miss that. I'm gonna miss everything about him. I'm gonna miss my dad."_

My fingers were numb as they moved across the game controller. I'd been at this game for at least an hour and I was going to complete at least two missions. A grenade was thrown at me by my buddy Geoff who was dicking around for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "What the fuck is your problem man?" I grunted in between my teeth before taking a sip of my energy drink that I snuck from my mom. He didn't do anything but laugh. Geoff always had this irritating, but likable cackle. He just sounded like he was country as hell whenever he did. I guess it was just the United States coming out of him; Alabama or Arkansas, one of those hick states where people marry their cousins and screw pigs and shit.

He paused his game. My screen stopped along with his since we were in partner mode. Geoff said he had to go help his mom with the groceries or something. So, he logged off and I did the same. Games just aren't as much fun with the computer you know? I fell back onto my bed. I pulled off the headset and threw it to the ground. Blood began to rush to my right ear. Earphones are always tight on that side. Hell if I know why.

Having something push piercings in for an hour is not comfortable. I hissed while rubbing over the chipped silver stud resting in my ear lobe. Something was telling me to take it out, so I did. Slowly, I pulled the earring out. This felt like ripping a band-aid. The slower you do it the more painful it is in the long run. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the stud out in a quick motion like ripping a band-aid. I rubbed my ear lobe hoping that the heat and itching would go away but it didn't. "Note to Duncan, take out piercings more often to clean." I said to myself as I smelled the small odor coming from the stud. Without a thought, I began to remove each piercing from my face.

The nude feeling was bittersweet. On one hand, I don't get infections which are pretty shitty without any piercings. But on the other hand, I look like my dad. I hate looking like my dad. Did I love it at one time, yeah of course. All boys want to be just like their dads. In fact, one time when I was little the precinct had a 'Bring Your Kid to Work Day'. My dad decided to bring me because, I was the only one that wasn't in school yet. What makes this day so much better is that my mom thought it would be "cute" to buy a little police outfit and dress me up in it. Do I remember this? No. But there is a hell of a lot of pictures to show.

I looked down at the studs in my hand and brought them to my nose. I took a huge whiff and promptly removed them from my nose. Damn, those things were rank. I threw them to the other side of my room; they landed next to my schoolbooks. Screw cleaning them, it's just time to get some new piercings. I'll probably just get a pair of the studs that Ma got for Delilah after she got her ears pierced last Sunday. I looked up at the ceiling. Specks, tons of tiny white specks covered my ceiling. When I was younger I used to always ask about what they were. My ma just said that they were spacke or somethin'. It was "all the rage" when this house was being built, or so she says.

Pushing myself onto my elbows, I realized Ma's been pretty quiet. Hell, the whole house has been pretty quiet. She normally would have called me down for some Chicken tetrazzini by now. I reached over to my nightstand littered with wrappers and cups from fast food, broken CD cases, and a half-empty pack of cigarettes for my phone. It read 6:43. Dinner should have been ready by now, and dad should've been home ten, fifteen minutes ago. She probably just got wrapped up in the evening news, or some woman show or somethin'.

I slid down onto the floor. My feet met with the crumb covered carpet that needs to be vacuumed. Ma's been getting at me for it; I should probably get around to doing that. My door that had paint chipped away from me doing stupid shit as a kid, like sticking stickers from kids meals on my door, opened with a creek. The hallway was unusually quiet. Usually my little brother is practicing his flute, or trumpet, or whatever it is. There weren't any squeals or screams from my little sister playing fairy princesses or any shit like that. It was just silent.

It was pretty dark too. A blue glow seemed to fill the upstairs enough so I wouldn't fall down the stairs. As I made my way into the first level of the house there was still no smell of any kind of cooking. Silence wasn't quite the way to describe the noise down here; it was more like a soft hum. All that can be heard is the low volume of some talk show that Ma was watching and her light snoring.

As kids, we used to wait for Ma to fall asleep, and we'd just listen to her snore. For some reason her almost angelic breathing used to always make us sleepy and we would all crawl up underneath her and sleep. All four of us: Derrick, Diana, me, and Dylan. Then, Dad would come home and slam the door to wake all of us up. Ma jumped out of her skin whenever he did this. She'd always fall off of the couch. As little kids we'd wake up and laugh and Dad would laugh. Ma would be mad at first, and then she would laugh like everyone else. That's something Dad could always do, make her laugh.

She was just sleeping so peacefully I couldn't wake her. I mean I could, but I just wouldn't feel right doing it. So, I just grabbed her car keys off of the coffee table in front of the sofa. Trying to keep quiet, I crept out of the house.

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><p>As soon as I got out of the house I realized how fucking cold it was. Real smart Duncan; let's go out into the rainy and cold weather without anything to cover up with. Dodging raindrops, I ran to the car full speed and hopped in. Someone once told me that running from the rain doesn't make any sense but, it does doesn't it? I mean you don't get as wet as you would if you walked in it I guess.<p>

Don't you just hate it when the car gets left out and it gets cold? I mean, it would have killed my Ma to park it in the garage would it? No, I certainly don't think so. I turned the heat to full blast. Soon, the car felt like the inside of an oven. Which I had no problem with. I made my way through the lazy streets. What to eat, what to eat? Should probably get mom's favorite, because it looks like she had a long day.

The drive-thru was packed. I rolled my eyes when I saw this fat-ass soccer mom get in the long line. "Just get out of the damn SUV!" I cursed while making eye contact with the lady. She has to have been able to read lips, because her doughboy face mashed to one big frown as she pressed forward in the long row of cars. The rain seemed to pelt down as I sat in the car. I seriously debated going back home and forcing Ma to cook something. But, no. That would be the wrong thing to do. Duncan you are doing the right thing.

There had to be some sort of jacket in this car. I stretched out to the backseat. Nothing on the actual seat. But, there seemed to be something on the floorboard. Quickly, I reached for what looked like a sweatshirt. As I pulled back from the backseat I realized what I had.

The grey sweatshirt my older brother Derrick gave to our ma with "Marine Mom" on it in big pink letters with navy dots and stitching. Ma wore this thing almost… never. I mean, it's not ugly or anything. I guess Ma just isn't one of those, pink girls. Either pansy-ass sweatshirt now, or cold and Ma's bitching later. I'm thinking pansy-ass sweatshirt.

I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and it was a disaster. It came up to my bellybutton and the sleeves ended at my forearms. I knew my mom was tiny but not the size of a freaking junior high-school girl. The rain began to pelt down even harder and I could've sworn I heard hail. But, I just pulled the hood over my non-jelled and spiked Mohawk and ventured out into the rain and cold.

Still, I dodged the rain and the occasional pelt of hail. I crossed in between two cars. One of the cars belonging to the soccer mom. When I was on the other side, she honked her horn at me and began to mouth something about being a disrespectful little miscreant. I just rolled by eyes and flipped her off. All I could hear was a shrill scream and the giggles of several small children from the inside. I smirked to myself.

Opening the door to the restaurant, I went from one cold to another. One pierced your skin with pellets of ice and drops of water as cold as ice. The other rushed out of vents and held the smell of chicken and French fries. I looked behind me one more time to see if the fat mom was still freaking out, but instead I noticed a police car. Reading the number on the passenger's side of the patrol car I automatically knew who the two lovely officers making rounds in it were. Officer Sanchez and Officer Sparks, the two biggest douche bags in the department. Yeah Sparks was my dad's best friend and he and Sanchez can be cool sometimes but, they just dicked around way too much.

Frantic, my eyes skimmed the place left and right looking for Beavis and Dickhead. Just when I thought I was in the clear I heard them behind me. "Stealing from your own mother now? Kind of low Dunkie." Sanchez asked with his annoying accent.

"Yeah Heavy Metal, grey just isn't your color. I kinda' like ya' more in orange myself." Sparks joked, unoriginally at that. He and Sanchez must have thought this was hilarious, because they were almost on the ground rolling.

The girl at the counter with a black visor on and with blonde hairs sticking to her skin that was oily from working with fries looked up at me and laughed to herself. I gave her a smug smirk back. Should I give them some of the good old DeLuca charm? Yeah, why not? It isn't like Tyrone Sparks and Leonardo Sanchez haven't gotten it before.

A mischievous rush went up my spine, and my smirk became even more cynical. I turned back around to face my two favorite men in blue. "Well Sparky, that's not what Tonya was saying last night."The idea of actually being wit Mrs. Sparks began to go through my head. But, Sanchez's annoying ass laugh had to mess that lovely image up. Then again, just seeing Officer Spark's face was just too funny. He knew that I thought his wife was hot and there was nothing he could do about it.

I looked over at Sanchez and furrowed my brow. "Hey Sanchez, I wouldn't be laughing so hard if I were you. I asked your wife to join in too but, she was a little tied up with the pool boy, one of the construction workers from across the street, and the housekeeper from next door was there too." I smirked and gave him the wink and the gun. Sparks folded his lips in trying to stifle a laugh. Sanchez just squinted at me. "Screw you, Duncan." His voice cracked a little because he knew that there was some truth behind what I was saying.

Could I have stopped there? Yes. Should I have stopped there? Yes. Did I stop there? Hell no! I wanted to break that little Sanchez down. I wanted to see him wither and melt away from the fucking fantastic fact that his wife was a bit of a whore. "Sorry, your wife offered to about a month ago. I would have but, I'm into natural blondes and real boobs."

I turned around knowing that I had won. Sanchez was boiling and steam had to be coming out of his ears. I just know it. Sparks began to cough and snort from the laughter he was holding in. The blonde counter girl who didn't even know Mrs. Sanchez giggled a little to herself.

Sanchez began to chew Sparks out for laughing, which was quite hilarious. I even heard a few Spanish swears that Courtney yelled at me, and later taught me. Dick and Dickier had to have been arguing for at least two or three minutes now, and I haven't even made an order yet. Luck has it that an all-call goes out on their walkie-talkies as soon as their food comes out. Ran to their squad car like two rookies never have I seen a middle-aged man run that fast. Guess who's getting free food!

I looked at the girl behind the counter, she looked as if she didn't give to shits if I took the food or not. So, no sneaking needed. But, this girl keeps making some kind of eyes at me and I'm not in the mood to strike up any flirt conversation if it doesn't get me anywhere. So I just grabbed the food and darted back into the cold rain and hail without any extra ketchup or napkins. Crap, I forgot the drinks. Well, there has to be some juice for Delilah in the fridge or somethin'.

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><p>As I was driving back to my house, everything seemed quiet, it was an uneasy quiet like the sunny weather before the storm. But, that didn't last for long as five police cars sped by me like bats out of hell. Something about a ton of cruisers at one time always made me have that feeling of my heart being at the pit of my stomach.<p>

Maybe it has to do with that one trip that we took to Grandma's. I had to be ten or eleven, not quite old enough to know about all of the dark things in the world. _The sun seemed to be shining a little brighter, and air flowed through the windows that were all rolled down. One other thing that I'll always remember about that trip was the country air that I can admit that I love much more compared to the city's. Everything was perfect; Ma was snoring with some cheesy romance novel still in her hands. Dylan fell asleep on Diana's lap. Diana was fighting sleep by chipping away her neon blue and yellow nail polish and nodding her head to some lame indie rock band. And for some reason Derrick wasn't there and that made me damn happy. So, there was time enough for me just to talk to Pops._

_We were talking about everything from the Leaves' upcoming season to "those special changes" that all kids love to talk about. But, I was actually enjoying my time with my dad. This was probably the closest bonding conversation I've ever had with him. Suddenly, what looked like was all of the police cruisers in that tour rushed by us disrupting the calm breeze and sending a few leaves into the car through my window. The harmony inside was broken. Ma woke up with a jolt letting go of her book and letting it fly into the windshield. Dylan popped up, looking like a deer in the headlights. Diana pulled off her headphones, having the calmest reaction of any passenger in the car. "Dad, what was that all about?" I asked cocking my eyebrow. My eyes darted up towards the rearview mirror, and I saw dad's expression harden. He then rolled up all the windows. I will never forget what he said next._

_"Well Dunc, that means that a cop's dead, or that one's about to die." I've never heard him so void of emotions. As soon as he said that Diana tried to snap her headphones over Dylan's ears and Ma widened her eyes and punched Dad in the shoulder. But, nothing could be done. The damage was already there, one strand had been snatched away from the unraveling fabric of innocence._

The rain had stopped by the time I pulled in our driveway. Everything was still coated in a film of water and tiny ice crystals. The smell of chicken was almost enough to gag and choke you. Ma's going to be ready to chew my ass out in the morning for that. She's a sweet woman but, my mom does not kid around about being clean or polite. But, all well. She'll be happy that I got her favorite.

As soon as I got into the house, I was greeted by a wave of heat that I was more than grateful for. Wanting to get rid of this lame ass Marine Mom sweatshirt, I pulled it off (knowing that I had stretched it out some) and threw it out on the couch.

Then, I noticed that Ma wasn't sleeping there anymore. Bags of chicken sandwiches and fries in tow, I made my way up the dimly lit stairs. The door to my parents' room was wide open. Walking in, I finally realized that Dad still wasn't home yet. My heart began to race a just a little faster. Was Dad who that all-call was for? No, no they did call everybody. Maybe some rookie got himself into a simple armed robbery. Nothing's wrong with Dad.

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><p>You could hear the pattern of the shower droplets hitting the tile. I tipped towards the door and opened it just wide enough so I could stick my head in. "Don? Honey, is that you?" Ma screamed over the loud rush of water. I said it was me, and I just knew she let out a sigh of disappointment. "It's almost 7:30. Where is he?" She asked, poking her head from behind the cream curtain. Her eyes were red like she had been crying, the tiny bags under her eyes seemed to look ten times bigger.<p>

I seriously debate whether or not to tell her about the all-call. If I tell her, she'll freak out. If I don't tell her, she'll freak out. So, I might as well. "Ma, I saw Sparks and Sanchez run out on an all-call." Her eyes darkened a little more as she turned off the water flow. She bit her lip and began to stutter a little.

"I… I… I know Duncan. Tonya called me. Let's just pray it's not for your Dad. Just put my food in the fridge. I'm not hungry right now." She mumbled while looking down at the bathmat and grabbing a towel to step out of the shower with, I took this as my cue to leave.

My phone vibrated as I put Ma's food in the fridge. My fingers brushed the cold metallic case and pulled out the phone just far enough so I could see the contact, it was Courtney. I pulled out the rest of the phone a read the text. It was just a simple hey. But, I am just not in the mood to text right now. Hell, I never am. I'd rather just talk to her in person. In fact, he parents are out of town I could just sneak over there for some … No, No I need to stay here with Ma and wait for Dad to get home.

Grabbing my glass of off the counter, I walked back over to the living room and sprawled out on the couch. Some cop show was on, and they had an all-call how ironic. I took a huge gulp of the watered down grape juice. I put the glass down, and grabbed the remote. Can't watch this shit right now. The phone rang, and ice went through my veins. It stopped on the second ring. A few seconds passed by, and I made the holy trinity on my chest. "Dear God, please don't let that be my dad." I mumbled, hoping that the big guy would hear me.

A single scream rang out throughout the entire house. I threw the remote back at the coffee table. The glass knocked over and the grape juice had to have splashed on the carpet. I ran up the stairs as fast as my feet could take me. I stopped short, hesitant to face her in the room.

Ma was sitting on the floor, her back against the bed and her knees were pulled to her chest. Her eyes were shut tightly and her jaw was clenched. I looked down to her right hand. The phone was squeezed so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning bright white as the pushed against her thin skin.

It seemed as if time slowed down. I felt like the last hour wasn't real. Like this was just a dream, that was turning into a terrible nightmare. She slowly tilted her head up towards me, she opened her eyes. Her sparkling bright blue eyes were dim and filled with fear. "We have to go to the hospital! Someone shot him, someone shot him!"

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><p><em>An: I cannot believe I made it to 4,000 words. But, on the story. What is going to happen to the DeLuca family? I know, but what do you think? Is Duncan in character? If not, what changes can be made? What characters would y'all like to see? Just let me know anything in a review. If you'd like you can send a private message down also.<em>

_I'd love to see some reviews. Let me know :)_

_Best Wishes,_

_fulltimereviewer_


	2. Chapter 2

Nothing. I felt not a fucking thing looking at my dad. He was just there, dead. Nothing was real to me. This was just a bad dream that I could wake up from, that's all. I closed my eyes as tightly as I could; Ma used to sing this song this song to me whenever I had a bad dream, when I was little.

_Close your eyes, count to three, when you open them there'll be no bad dreams, just you and me. _

I counted to three and opened my eyes; still a bad dream. I did it again and counted to three in every language I knew: English, Italian, French, and Spanish. Not a damn thing worked. That's when it really sunk in. That's when I started to feel. This is real; all of this shit is real. My father, Don De Luca is dead and my life will never be the same.

The cold air in the hospital made my bones feel like ice. Ma's tears soaked my shirt. The wetness grew and grew; it felt like a poison burning through my shirt and then my skin, heading straight to the heart. She eventually pushed herself away from me, and sunk into the worn down wooden chair next to where he laid. Without her hugging me throughout this, I felt empty, lost even. It may have been sissy to admit it, but right now I needed my Ma; shaking my head, I pushed the thought aside as I tried to imagine the pain she was going through. He may have been my dad, but he was the love of her life, first.

Ma grabbed his motionless hand. She studied it like a small child; her slim fingers pushed down on his knuckles creating a fist. Ma lightly grasped it in her soft hands, and placed a tender kiss on his fist. She let it linger. I almost wished that this was some sort of Disney fairytale where Dad's eyes would magically reopen after a kiss from Ma.

But I didn't.

Right now, I knew that wishing for the impossible would just be a waste of time and starting now I knew I would have no time to waste. They would need me to be the man of the house, now that Dad was gone. Derrick only came ever so often, and I would be in charge from now on. Ma would need me. I turned to walk back out into the world that was untouched by the death of Don DeLuca. Before I could, Ma did something I'll never forget.

"Duncan," she called out, still holding his fist to her, "go get your brother from his friend's house." I walked out of the room, but something told me not to leave just yet; so I just lingered right outside of the doorway. She pulled his fist away from her lips and looked down at what I presumed was her own hand. Slowly-painfully so-she pulled off the wedding band that rested upon her finger for twenty six years. She gazed down at it and her body began to tremble. With a quavering hand she pulled his stiff fingers out of the fist. Now shaking even more, Ma dropped the band into his hand. Then she closed it, let out a shaky breath, and began to cry. A cry that I don't think I was meant to see.

Walking back into the lobby of the ER, I passed through a sea of police officers. They all had the same face, a sunken, sullen face that couldn't be repaired by any amount of joy; only time could heal it. As I passed through them, a few of the officers who were close friends of my dad looked at me with eyes that asked for a miracle; an act straight from Jehovah himself. I just shook my head and continued on out into the drizzling rain and bone-chilling cold.

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><p>What the hell was I supposed to tell Dylan? "Dad died. Good thing we never save up for Christmas presents for him, eh?" No, that wasn't right. Maybe..."Dad died. At least now you don't have to hear him nag about your grades anymore." Groaning, I clenched my fists; how could I let my little brother know that our dad died? The one guy he had really looked up to, the one guy that he had always strived to get his attention. Biting my lip, I gripped the steering wheel until my palms were numb; a tear bubbled on the corner of my eye, and I tried to focus on something else in order to keep it from falling. I haven't cried since Grams died three years ago. The small teardrop in the corner of my eye didn't feel natural; it burned a little actually. It felt like a little alien thing, unfamiliar to its surroundings. Blinking a couple of times helped it slip out. I tasted the salt on my lips and felt the wetness beneath my nose. "Be strong, don't cry." I mentally chided as I pulled in the driveway of that house that Dylan was staying at.<p>

For a minute I sat in the car, mentally preparing myself for everything that was about to happen. The clock wouldn't stop ticking, nor would it go backwards; I hated the clock for that. After a while of sitting in this family's driveway like a stalker, I got out and walked to the door. It wasn't raining anymore, but I heard the crack of thunder behind me and it was still cold like a bitch. Before I knocked on the door, I looked into the windows that were alongside each side of the door. From outside, the glare of a television could be seen flickering against the walls of the home and gunshots and muffled cursing and squeals of excitement could be heard. I delivered three hard knocks on the thick wooden door. The gunshots stopped and someone called for their mom. Within a few seconds, I heard the hasty unlocking of locks and a woman quickly opened the door.

If I hadn't been in the situation I was in right now I would've hit on this woman, because she was a total babe. Completely MILF worthy. She was wearing this thin robe that you could totally see her nipples through, slight curves, full lips, dark feline eyes, and dark hair. I think she was Asian. "Hello, did you need something?" The lady asked, slightly annoyed and angry as she crossed her arms over her chest. Must've noticed me looking. I told her I was Dylan's brother, and that there was a family emergency. She nodded and hesitantly invited me inside but I declined and went back to the car.

Dylan was quick to come out to the car. He hopped in and immediately wanted answers to what was going on. I had to dance around it just for a little while. I couldn't just slap the kid in the face with "Dad's dead." as soon as he got in. "Who's mom is that? Whosever it is you need to go to his house way more often becau—"

He took his head off of the window, and cut me the same "Quit the BS" look that Dad used to give. That look even coming from my brother sent a knife through my heart and made me realize that I'd probably never see it again. I sighed and changed the radio station hoping to drown the tension with music. Dylan quickly turned it off and began to stare daggers at me. I turned it back on, he turned it off; and things went on like that for about three minutes. Until Dylan turned it off. "Duncan, tell me what the fuckis going on." His voice was clear and hard, and I had to remind myself that was only fifteen. It still shakes me up whenever he cusses.

"Dylan, Dad got shot." Each word seemed to run out of my mouth faster than I could control. I decided to rip it off like a band-aid; there was no use sweetening it with bittersweet milksop. Then, he got the same look in his eyes as the police officers in the ER lobby. He was looking for a miracle from the grace of God.

I shook my head.

His lip began to tremble, and he placed his face back on the cold window as the tears drifted down his face.

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><p>My sister Diana is a lot of things, but normal isn't one of them; neither is average or simple. So I was just a little surprised when she woke me up, shit-eating grin on her face, by throwing an untoasted bagel, orange, and half pint of milk at my face at eight in the morning. "Di, it's eight in the morning." I said, my voice bleak and dripping with annoyance. I sat up in bed and tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes. "What time did you get in last night?" I asked slowly sliding out of the bed, inch by inch.<p>

"Eleven- thirty." She spoke from my closet. I heard the screeching of hangers echoing through my room, then the thumbs of several shirts, a jacket, and a pair of jeans hit my bed. "Wear that, put your grey shoes on, and meet me in my car." She left the door open behind her when she walked out. I sighed and tried to run my fingers through my mohawk. But, it was hard like a rock, just like something else. Guess who needs to go to the bathroom.

I rushed down the stairs, orange and bagel in hand after taking the quickest shower I think I've ever taken. Didn't even get the chance to style the 'hawk or shave. My face and hands felt like ice as soon as I stepped outside. Diana was in the car tapping her fingers on the steering wheel just like Ma does when she's pissed.

The car was already warm when I got in. I guess Di finally got the nerve to fix the heat and a/c in her car. She pulled out of the driveway and the cut her eyes at me. "What took you so long, Dunkie?" She sneered while changing the CD to some weird ass French rap.

Man, that 'Dunkie' nickname is really annoying when anyone other than Princess or Delilah calls me that. And even then, I still can't stand it. I told her I had to shower, it was Saturday, and I haven't touched water since Thursday afternoon. "Where the hell are we even going Di?" I asked while bending over the front of the seat to look for the lighter that fell out of my pocket. While I was under there I found my lighter and a condom wrapper. I left the lighter and grabbed the piece of trash between my between my pointer finger and my thumb.

"Di! What the fuck?" She bit her lip and gave me the same fake innocent smile that I used to give Ma and Dad when I got in trouble. I kept staring her down, and damn did I feel like Dad right now. I guess it was my responsibility now. "I seriously thought you were a lesbian," I remember how she didn't like to be "labeled and confined" or some bullshit like that," I mean you were dating that hot Kira chick, what happened to that?"

She sighed as she put on her turning signal to turn into Officer Sparks and Tonya's subdivision. "Well… She broke up with me when I came home from our, or well my, apartment smelling like sweat and shame." She rambled in one breath. I furrowed my brows not catching half of what she said. "Okay… Remember that guy you met when you came to visit like two months ago? Well, I just got a little tipsy and screwed him. I went back to my apartment smelling like sweat and sex the next morning and the stain on my pant leg didn't make it any better. So she broke up with me." She didn't look too broken up about it. They didn't date for a long time or anything so, I guess she's okay.

"Could you just put that in the glove compartment and go get Delilah from Tonya's?" I rolled my eyes. Most people think I'm the black sheep of the family, and I am; but Diana is just a different type of black sheep. Like acting out a one woman version of West Side Story when she was eight, or singing "Like A Virgin" when she played The Virgin Mary in our church's Christmas program, or even giving her fourteen year old brother a green mohawk for her class exam, different. That's Diana. No one else like my sister; no one else.

"Dunkie! Dunkie! You gotta play with me c'mon!" Delilah squealed while tugging on my coat with her pink snow covered mittens. "C'mon!" She yelled again running around in circles, a few of her white-blonde curls falling from underneath her matching pink beanie. She was just so innocent and happy and I didn't want to be the one to ruin it by telling her that her daddy's dead.

"Lilah, I had a snowball fight with you, pushed you on the swing, played tag, hide –n – go seek, and we made a snowman. You can make a snow angel by yourself, okay?" I said before dusting off the snow covered bench where Diana was sitting. Delilah stared me down and stuck one finger out towards me, like she was saying "I'm watching you." I chuckled, Dad used to do that all the time. Damn, do we all do something like him?

Diana and I just sat in silence watching the sweet little angel that was Delilah run and play. She was so big now. Next she'd be starting school, driving, dating; all without Dad. I remember the day that Ma and Dad brought her home.

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><p>"<em>It's been two hours, it doesn't take that long to get groceries." I mumbled under by breath while throwing a soccer ball to Dylan. I don't know why I even did that, it's not like I'd get it back; Mr. "Mom said not to" is too afraid to break the rules anyway. I fell back into Dad's armchair that we 'weren't allowed to sit in'. Ma and Dad were supposed to get off early today because it was the weekend. Unfortunately, some "big" case came in at the station and they had to stay behind. Now, they're out getting groceries which is taking too damn long in my opinion. "Hey Dyl, you hungry?" I asked my brother as I felt my stomach grumble.<em>

"_Yeah, but Mom's not home and neither of us is supposed to go into the kitchen when she's not home. Remember last time?" My younger, more obedient brother was referring to the Marinara Massacre of 2005. We don't talk about the Marinara Massacre of 2005; let's just say Ma's wedding linen and spaghetti pot were never the same again._

_I rolled my eyes and sighed. Diana came downstairs with God knows what on her face for acne, or oily skin, or pores. Some stupid shit that she's always babbling about and that one else cares about. We asked her to make us something to eat seeing as she was the only "responsible" one in the house. She asked why._

"_Because you're a girl and it's a girl's job to cook." Dylan proudly declared before standing toe to toe with his maker, Lady Di. She furrowed her brows causing some of the mask to crack off of her face._

_With police precision, Di put Dylan in a chokehold. "What'd you say you little punk? That's sexist. Don't say it again. Got it?" She grunted, halfway serious. Dylan was laughing uncontrollably, then Diana started laughing and pulling him by his legs all over the den. I couldn't do anything but laugh. Then Dylan starting bitching about carpet burn._

_Diana started to lift Dylan's legs even higher in the air, and the door handle began to jiggle. She panicked and dropped him. I was laughing, Di was laughing, and even little Dyl 's moans and groans of pain were cut with laughter._

_All of that was cut with a small giggle. We all looked over to see Dad smiling. Dad only smiles for pictures and Ma. Not smirk, a real smile. What the hell is going on?_

_Everything fell quiet; painfully quiet as we all stared down Dad as he smiled at this thing wiggling in his arms. "I'm surprised you guys are being so quiet. I would think that you would want your new baby sister to get used to her home." Baby sister? That's when we all piped up asking where she came from. Where was her mom? Why did we have her?_

_I guess we were all just a little bit too loud, and she began to cry. I thought Dad would flip the shit on her, but I've never seen Dad be so gentle. He just shushed her, and rocked her back and forth occasionally rubbing her white-blonde curls. I couldn't believe that the man who cursed me to hell and back last weekend for using his car is sitting here, cuddling a baby like Mother Goose._

_Dad told Dylan to go upstairs for a minute. Diana and I exchanged looks like we were a part of some secret. Dad just kept rubbing the baby's soft curls. "We found her mom a few streets away from their apartment." The smile on Diana's face dimmed some. "She overdosed. Child Protective Services were going to take her, but your mom wouldn't have that, so now, we have her."_

_Diana said something about designing a baby room and then she grabbed Ma and the car keys to go shop for anything and everything. Then it was just me and Dad, and a baby. This little baby was just staring at me. "Did you want to hold her?"_

"_Uh... Dad she's pretty small I don't want to break her or anything." Then she blinked a few times and smiled at me. I never would've thought a gummy little smile would make me feel so, good; happy, even. Dad must've seen this, because the next thing I know I had a baby in my arms. Not just a baby any more, my little sister._

* * *

><p>"Dunc, you ready to go?" Diana asked, snapping me out of the Delilah flashback. Delilah came jumping through the snow singing her new "Hot Chocolate Song". I shook my head. They both tried to bribe me with hot chocolate and doughnuts. Delilah even tried chocolate frosted doughnuts with ice cream, sprinkles, fairy princess glitter, and cherries on top. Yet even those big blue eyes and pout didn't break me; not this time. So they left, I was alone, and it was snowing. Great.<p>

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and pulled out my phone. Courtney and I haven't talked since school on Friday. She's probably ready to chew me out for not contacting her. Princess lives about five minutes away, she'll give me a ride home. I sent her a text and began to wait in the freezing cold with the snow falling down and covering my coat. I pulled it tighter around me after I light the one lone cigarette that was in the pocket of my jeans.

"Duncan!" A sharp voice shouted, snapping me out of my smoking haze. I looked up to see Princess. Normally, I would have something to say that would piss her off. Only nothing could come to mind. "Duncan, seriously? Smoking in a park for children? And it's freezing cold out here. You have snowflakes in your hair and your earlobes are turning blue! Hurry up and put out that cancer stick before you get hypothermia!" She had her nose pinched up and her eyebrows knitted together like she always does when she's yelling at me.

I take one more drag before stomping the cigarette out in the snow covered concrete. Princess huffs and rolls her eyes before she mumbles something about being a litterbug under her breath. I look at the ground and back up into her eyes and bite my lip. "My dad's dead."

Her jaw dropped slightly, and her breath fogged around her as she exhaled. She quickly pressed her lips together and swallowed. "Come on let's get out of the cold." She grabbed my bare hand with her leather gloved hand and we walked back to the car.

We were almost back to my house, and Princess hadn't yet said a thing. "Y'know something? He always loved you." A bittersweet smile spread across her lips. "He used to always tell me 'Hold on to this one she's a keeper. Don't screw it up.'" I said, trying to sound a little humorous and cheer her up. I heard a few sniffs and snorts over some Broadway soundtrack she had playing. Turning towards her, I saw a single tear slithering down her cheek. "Princess, c'mon don't cry. Don't mess that pretty face up." She smiled. I wiped the tear from her face when we reached the stop sign.

She pulled into my driveway and there was this slight tension between us. "My facebook password is your birthday. So get on there and take care of all the condolence shit when it starts coming in." I said, trying to ease the mood. Then she laughed. It was the first time that I've heard someone honestly laugh, and it instantly brought a ghost of a smile on my face.

"You know I already have that." Any other guy would've probably been upset by the fact that his girlfriend has his password. Then again, I'm not like most guys and Courtney's not just some plain old girlfriend. She's Courtney.

I smirked, unbuckled my seatbelt, and leaned over to give her a kiss. For some reason, this kiss just felt different. Not bad; but it made me feel better. "I love you." I mumbled. She smiled and mouthed it back.

Seeing her made it better. The best I've felt in the last day or so. It all came crashing down when Delilah answered the door.

"Dunkie where's Daddy? No one will tell me."

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><p><strong>an:<strong> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This story's beta is now Prinzessin author, edwardandbella4evah. Leave me a review, if you wouldn't mind. :)

Best Wishes,

fulltimereviewer

**disclaimer: ** I do not own Total Drama.


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